1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a motor vehicle, especially a limousine or a coupe, with a motor vehicle roof with body-mounted lengthwise roof rails, with a roof opening in the motor vehicle roof, with a movable roof dividing means for selectively closing or at least partially clearing the roof opening, and with a rear window which adjoins the motor vehicle roof.
2. Description of Related Art
When driving in an open passenger car such as, for example, a convertible, in an accident in which the vehicle overturns, there is a high risk of injury to the passengers. Therefore, in convertibles, there are fixed or retractable roll bars for passenger protection when the roof is open. Limousines and coupes offer high safety in a rollover, but when an openable roof, for example, a sliding roof, is installed, only a limited roof opening is possible which ordinarily cannot impart the same feeling as when driving in an open convertible.
Published European Patent Application EP 0 591 644 B1 describes a motor vehicle with a roof which has a roof opening which can be selectively closed or at least partially opened by means of the louvers of a louvered roof. To open the roof opening, the louvers, which are movably supported on bilateral roof-mounted guides, are moved to the rear to under the fixed roof part which adjoins the roof opening to the rear. In the lowered position, the louvers can be stacked into a package of relatively low height or they are located at a mutual vertical distance like blinds in front of the rear window.
French Patent FR 2 718 485 discloses a sliding headliner for a closed transparent motor vehicle roof. The sliding headliner contains individual louvers which are movably supported on bilateral lengthwise roof guides. When the sliding head liner is opened, the individual louvers are pushed to the rear to under the transparent motor vehicle roof into a storage position in which they are located on top of one another as a package.
DE 196 34 507 C1 discloses a motor vehicle roof which can be lowered into the rear of a passenger car. A movable roof arrangement which is provided selectively for closing or clearing a roof opening is made especially as a louvered roof which can be folded up in the form of a package when opened on the roof frame and can be lowered with the motor vehicle roof in the rear of the vehicle.
German Utility Model DE 298 12 103 U1 describes a convertible limousine which has a roof superstructure with body-mounted lengthwise roof rails, and the roof superstructure can be opened by the roof parts, which are movably supported between the lengthwise roof rails, and the rear window being arranged as a stack which can be stowed in a cavity of the rear hatch or the trunk lid. The rear window is movably supported on an inner part of the rear hatch by means of front and rear sliding cranks. Furthermore, on the inner hatch part, on the back side, a cover is pivotally coupled which is opened to allow space for the stack as it is pushed into the cavity of the rear hatch.
A primary object of the present invention is to devise a roof for a motor vehicle which can be opened over a large area and which still has a high stiffiess as passenger protection in a vehicle rollover.
This object is achieved in a motor vehicle of the initially mentioned type by, in accordance with the invention, the roof dividing means having roof dividing elements which are movably guided on lateral guides and which can be lowered into a rear storage space which is located especially essentially under the equator line of the motor vehicle when the roof dividing means is opened, and by the rear window being movable by a guide means on the body so as to be lowered from its closed position in which it closes a rear window opening in the body into an open position in which it is moved away from the rear window opening and is located at least partially under the trunk lid. In this way, a roof opening can be formed which extends as in a convertible from the front window as far as the trunk lid over the entire passenger compartment, but which, in contrast to a convertible, leaves the lengthwise roof rails in their body-mounted arrangement, thus making available improved passenger protection if the motor vehicle rolls over and comes to rest up-side-down.. The lengthwise roof rails are attached via the rear roof columns, for example, the C columns, to the body.
The rear storage space for the roof dividing elements is located preferably in a lowered position so that it is not raised or is not significantly raised over the equator line of the motor vehicle which is formed by the lower edge of the side windows and the trunk lid. Thus, unobstructed visibility from the vehicle interior to the rear is not hindered. The storage space is thus behind the rear seats roughly underneath the top edge of the rear seats in a fourseat or five-seat limousine. The arrangement of the guide means for the rear window directly on the body or the body structure yields a simpler structure relative to a guide on the rear hatch.
The movable roof dividing means is especially a louvered roof which can be used, preferably, for closing the roof opening, and when opened, can be transferred into a compact arrangement in the rear storage space. The roof dividing elements or the louvers can be simply movable lengthwise or they can be swung out of their closed position also into a ventilation position, or they are attached to one another as louver parts which are narrow in the lengthwise direction in the manner of blinds and are rolled up in the storage space. Instead of the louvers, a roof dividing means with a flexible cover, for example, a folding roof, can be used.
Depending on the size of the rear window and the trunk lid, the rear window can be located partially or completely in the open position under the trunk lid. Especially when the closed rear window and the trunk lid in the lengthwise direction are at an angle to one another, is the rear window pivoted during the opening process around its rear edge so that it is accommodated as much as possible parallel under the trunk lid, and thus saving space in the trunk.
In order to move the tilted rear window in a space-saving manner to under the trunk lid, it is a good idea if the rear window in the area of its rear edge is supported to be able to pivot around a transverse axis on a rear guide means.
Preferably, the rear guide means has two especially parallel lengthwise guide rails which are spaced apart and which are located in the side areas of the trunk. Thus, the accessibility of the trunk is not hindered by the guide means, and secure and solid support and guidance are formed by the wide guide base.
On the rear window, bearing parts, such as journals which project laterally are feasibly attached and are movably guided on the lengthwise guide rails, and the bearing parts can be coupled to the sliding elements which are movably supported in the lengthwise guide rails and which can be moved by a drive means.
For reliable guidance of the rear window, it can be coupled in the area of its front edge to a front guide means which can have two nonparallel guide rails on which the rear window is movably supported via compensation elements. Nonparallel guide rails can be used which are matched to the C columns which run from the roof sloped to the outside.
Preferably, the rear window is guided in the opening process by the front guide means in an initial lowering motion out of a rear window frame.
The roof dividing elements or louvers can be guided on lengthwise guides which run along the side lengthwise roof rails and down to the storage space, and they are moved by a drive means located preferably on an apron.
Preferably, there is an actuating means with which the louvered roof an d the rear window can be opened and closed in a coupled sequence or independently of one another.
According to one embodiment, the storage space for the roof dividing elements or the louvers is covered by a cover, especially a hat rack (shelf behind the rear seat), or the interior cover of the trunk with the louvered roof closed, and it is readied to accommodate the louvers by removing the cover from its cover position.
The cover can be moved into a lower position in which it forms the bottom of the storage space.
One embodiment of the motor vehicle is explained in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.